—Feb 3— Hronis Racing LLC’s Accelerate made his 2018 debut in the Grade II $201,380 San Pasqual Stakes and made a strong case to support the contention that he is presently the best older horse in America. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, the John Sadler trainee broke a tad slowly, falling behind Prime Attraction to his inside and The Lieutenant to his outside, but Espinoza settled Accelerate behind the front-running duo, before “accelerating” past them before going a half.
From that point on, the race was never in doubt and the only real question was the winning margin. Accelerate answered that question, too, posting a three-and-a-half length score. The Lieutenant finished second and Prime Attraction hung on for third, outlasting Mubtaahij. After that it was nearly a dozen lengths back to Pavel and Top of the Game, who finished fifth and last, respectively.
Accelerate was the overwhelming 1/10 favorite and paid just $2.30 for the win. Meanwhile, The Lieutenant paid $5.10 to place as the 42/1 fifth choice in the betting.
Bred in Kentucky by Mike Abraham, Accelerate is by Lookin at Lucky and the stakes-placed Awesome Again mare, Issues. He is expected to make his next start in the Big ‘Cap at Santa Anita in March.
Retro Horse Racing Game 